30 Days of Night

 3DON   (Idea + Design Works, 2002-2004)

™ and © Idea + Design Works LLC

In a sort of Arctic version of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, a clan of vampires makes its move as winter approaches in the tiny town of Barrow, Alaska. Why Barrow? Because, with the arrival of the winter solstice, the sun sets one evening and plunges this remote community into a month-long period of frigid darkness before finally rising again. For a vampire, a month-long night in a city that’s in the middle of nowhere is a tempting target. 

Writer Steve Niles plays on common fears of isolation, darkness, and monsters in a story that’s more chilling than its locale. A good writer could extrapolate any one of these fears into a thrilling story, but Niles succeeds in pushing all of these buttons with the right frequency to produce a story that’s not just chilling, but downright scary. And Ben Templesmith’s painted art, mostly washed-out pastels with brilliant placement of bright reds, heighten the desolation and desperation addressed by Niles.

The only problem? It’s too danged short. Another issue or two could have easily been spent on, ahem, fleshing out the characterization of some of the vampire clan’s members, whose evil is apparent only from their natures and appearances. More focus on this group’s despicable acts would have made this comic book truly terrifying. Nonetheless, everything a sane person should rightly be afraid of is in here. Beware.

— Jim Johnson

		Notes	Writer	Artist
	#1 Date:  6/1/2002 Cover Price:  $3.99 NM Guide:  $40.00 No copies available		Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	#1 (2nd printing) Date:  8/1/2002 Cover Price:  $3.99 NM Guide:  $14.50 No copies available	2nd printing	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	#1 (3rd printing) Date:  4/1/2011 Cover Price:  $1.00 NM Guide:  $2.00 1 copy available for $1.99	100 Penny Press reprint	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	#1 Variation A Date:  10/1/2007 Cover Price:  $2.99 NM Guide:  $2.50 No copies available	5th Anniversary Edition	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	#1 Variation B Date:  10/1/2007 Cover Price:  $9.99 NM Guide:  $9.99 No copies available	10th Anniversary Edition	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	#1 Special Treasury Edition (2nd printing) Date:  10/1/2007 Cover Price:  $2.99 NM Guide:  $2.00 No copies available	5th Anniversary Edition	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	#2 Date:  8/1/2002 Cover Price:  $3.99 NM Guide:  $32.00 2 copies available from $23.75		Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	#3 Date:  10/1/2002 Cover Price:  $3.99 NM Guide:  $6.50 3 copies available from $4.99		Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	Annual #1 Date:  1/1/2004 Cover Price:  $4.99 NM Guide:  $3.25 9 copies available from $0.99		Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith, Szymon Kudranski, Brandon Hovet, Josh Medors
	Annual #2 Date:  12/1/2005 Cover Price:  $7.49 NM Guide:  $6.50 7 copies available from $4.81	2005 Annual	Steve Niles	Nat Jones
	Annual #2 Variation A Date:  12/1/2005 Cover Price:  $7.49 NM Guide:  $10.00 No copies available	2005 Annual	Steve Niles	Nat Jones
	Book #1 Date:  Cover Price:  $17.99 NM Guide:  $26.00 3 copies available from $16.80	Collects 30 Days of Night #1-3; ca. 2004	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	Book #1 (2nd printing) Date:  8/1/2002 Cover Price:  $17.99 NM Guide:  $17.99 No copies available	2nd printing	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	Book #1 (3rd printing) Date:  Cover Price:  $17.99 NM Guide:  $17.99 No copies available	3rd printing	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	Book #1 (4th printing) Date:  Cover Price:  $17.99 NM Guide:  $11.00 No copies available	4th printing	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	Book #1 (5th printing) Date:  Cover Price:  $17.99 NM Guide:  $17.99 No copies available	5th printing	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	Book #1 (6th printing) Date:  Cover Price:  $17.99 NM Guide:  $17.00 No copies available	6th printing	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	Book #1 (7th printing) Date:  Cover Price:  $17.99 NM Guide:  $17.99 No copies available	7th printing	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	Book #1 (8th printing) Date:  3/1/2007 Cover Price:  $17.99 NM Guide:  $17.99 No copies available	8th printing; Movie reprint with “Now a Major Motion Picture” header on cover	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	Book #1 Variation A Date:  Cover Price:  $27.99 NM Guide:  $24.00 1 copy available for $23.05	Signed edition autographed by Ben Templesmith	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	Book #1 Variation B Date:  Cover Price:  $29.99 NM Guide:  $29.99 No copies available	15th Anniversary Direct Market Edition	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	Book #1 Hardcover Date:  12/1/2003 Cover Price:  $75.00 NM Guide:  $75.00 No copies available	Painted cover; Hardcover; Reprints 30 Days of Night #1-3; Slipcased	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	Book #1 Hardcover (2nd printing) Date:  2/1/2005 Cover Price:  $35.00 NM Guide:  $35.00 No copies available	2nd printing; Hardcover; Collects 30 Days of Night #1-3	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith
	Book #1 Hardcover (3rd printing) Date:  Cover Price:  $35.00 NM Guide:  $35.00 No copies available	3rd printing; Hardcover	Steve Niles	Ben Templesmith